Raising from the Ruins of the Earthquake
Two months after the earthquake, everyone is trying to stand up on their feet, including business owners.
The Start
It all started from here, in Kahramanmaraş. The devastating earthquake hit ten provinces in Türkiye and affected the lives of millions of people from refugee and host communities. Organisations worldwide rushed to assist people and cover their basic needs as they could. Still, loss of livelihoods and damage on local markets were so heavy that it left the affected communities very concerned about their immediate needs and future.
The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) took action to address those concerns while trying to meet the people’s continuous needs in Kahramanmaraş, Şanlıurfa, Hatay and Kilis. DRC provides affected families with vouchers by sending them cards or QR codes to be able to buy their needs such as food, clothes and non-food items from stores. This project will not only assist people in vulnerable conditions, but will also support the local market to stand on its feet again.
Ali, a grocery store owner in Kahramanmaraş.
A story of a store owner who struggled with the disaster
A small grocery store in Kahramanmaraş has started recently with this project. Ali is the owner and he is from this city. He has a warm smile but his eyes show the reflection of a broken heart. He lost his parents and sister in the earthquake. People are still passing by to offer their condolences. “I buried them one by one during the first two weeks of the earthquake,” he said.
My shop was closed for a while, then I had to reopen it because I want to keep this shop alive. This is what is left of them.
Ali, a grocery store owner in Kahramnmaraş.
Trying to move on
Still, he is struggling. Many people left the city and others had no means to be able to meet their needs. The purchasing power went down while Ali has some debts to pay to keep his business running. He feels good to be part of the project. “I worked with DRC in this project in 2016 when some Syrian refugees came here,” he said. “So, I am familiar with this project and it is a good one. People have lost their homes and jobs and they are not able to buy food, which affected us as shop owners. The project will help the stores in this area rise again and assist the people in need for the time being.”
Ali is trying to keep his smile and shop in spite of all circumstances. The earthquake killed over 50,000 people in all provinces in Türkiye. Ali's parents and sister were among them.
A story of another business owner
Another store manager expressed his gratitude for this project. Gultekin runs a big store and hires workers from refugee and host communities. He and his family survived but four of his workers didn’t. His store was not damaged but the products were. As a result, he and his partners lost 15 million Turkish Liras.
It was like doomsday. Many buildings collapsed in the first earthquake, while many stores were destroyed.
Gultekin, a Turkish store owner in Kahramnmaraş
Gultekin, a Turkish store owner in Kahramanmaraş.
How the project is helping Gultekin
Gultekin could not open his store in the first two days, then he had to because people had needs to be met. It was one of the few stores that were open on that day while other shops reopened two weeks after the earthquake. Like Ali, he had a problem selling his products in the first two weeks because of the same reasons. He started working in the project a month ago and it is helping his business. “The project has improved 50% of the purchasing power,” he said. “It is adding additional workload but I am happy. My business is not only getting refreshed but also seeing people in need buying what they need and smiling of relief makes me feel good.”
Gultekin is in his store after he and his workers fixed it. His estimated loss was about 15 million Turkish Liras as a result of the earthquake.
How the future looks like?
Gultekin believes that the real problem will start later when the NGOs start withdrawing from this area. By that time, people will still be unable to find jobs or homes, but he is still optimistic about the future and has faith that everyone will be able to stand on his/her feet again, but as Ali said, it will take time.